Flags, flukes and free yards: Brohm shifts Louisville’s focus to fixes before James Madison

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After Louisville's 51-17 blowout of Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, coach Jeff Brohm couldn't find much to kick about. It's a good thing. If he had kicked, chances are it would've drawn a flag.

Two days and hours of video review later, Brohm sounded more like a coach who had watched a horror film than a highlight reel.

He was less interested in Miller Moss' passing stats and Isaac Brown's long runs than the laundry list of penalties and three turnovers — mistakes that will bite the team when the competition gets better, which it will do in a big way on Friday against a James Madison team that will visit L&N Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff

James Madison, like Louisville, is receiving votes in the Associated Press preseason Top 25. It sees itself as a College Football Playoff contender from the Group of 5, and beat two ACC teams last season.

A flag parade

Louisville was penalized 12 times against EKU, for 106 yards. Only one team in the nation (Mississippi State) was flagged for more yards in Week 1.

Four of those were holding calls on special teams. A fifth was a personal foul on kickoff coverage. On offense, there were three holding calls, plus a fourth that wasn’t accepted that wiped out a touchdown pass by KeJuan Brown because of offsetting penalties.

There were multiple pass interference calls and a defensive hold. Holding calls negated not only Brown’s TD catch and run of 38 yards but another long completion of 20 yards from Moss to Antonio Meeks.

It was a sampler platter of mistakes.

Brohm explained that many of the holds came from newcomers still learning technique — when to fight through contact and when to let go. “Quite a few of them are correctable,” he said. But the larger point remained: give away that many free yards in a tight game, and the outcome changes.

"We had five or six penalties on special teams," Brohm said. "I don't know if we had that many all last year. So we've got to get that fixed."

Louisville’s margin for error shrinks quickly this week. James Madison is not Eastern Kentucky. The Dukes, like Louisville, have won 19 games over the past two seasons. They play up-tempo. They have a quarterback, Alonza Barnett III who can run and throw. They don’t need any help.

The turnover toll

The other issue was ball security.

Louisville lost the turnover battle 3-0. Moss, the USC transfer, otherwise looked the part in his first start — 17 of 25 for 223 yards and a touchdown. But he also had two passes deflected for interceptions.

The second, bobbled by Meeks and inadvertently kicked up toward a defender as he fell, was just bad luck. The second, however, a slight overthrow of TreShun Hurry, grazed the receiver’s hand and was picked off by Vito Tisdale, who raced in for a touchdown.

In the second half, backup Brady Allen threw over the middle on third down and was intercepted at the Louisville 36. The return set up EKU at the Louisville 16, where it went in for another score.

“If you’re in a good, tight game and you lose the turnover battle 3-0,” Brohm said flatly, “you’re probably not going to win.”

Moss agreed. “I thought overall it was pretty clean,” he said. “We didn't finish the first half in the way that we wanted to. And I think one of those deals was a little fluky, and one was, you know, my fault. But I was proud of the way we prepared. And I think overall we executed to the degree of our preparation, and that’s got to set the standard going forward.”

Brohm is counting on that.

A defense with teeth

One reason Brohm could afford to harp on penalties and turnovers Monday was that the other elements of Louisville’s game looked sound.

The defensive front applied steady pressure and kept EKU from finding a rhythm. Edge rusher Clev Lubin called it a “race” within the room to see who will lead the team in sacks. He has the early edge with a couple, but noted teammates AJ Green and Wesley Bailey “are on my tail.”

That’s the competitive spirit Brohm wants, especially with James Madison’s quarterback offering a tougher challenge than EKU. Lubin faced Barnett last season at Coastal Carolina. He knows how quickly he can escape pressure.

But Moss said he thinks Louisville’s defensive front is pretty strong, having gone against it all preseason.

“I remember being halfway through spring and Brian (Brohm) making a comment in our meeting room, ‘I think our front seven is really, really good.’” Moss said. “And I think we showcased that to a degree on Saturday, and those guys are going to continue to get better. I know they've definitely made our offensive line better throughout camp. They've definitely made me a lot better in terms of forcing me to get the ball out on time, make quick decisions and stuff like that.”

Run game rolling

The running backs did their part as well. Isaac Brown scored twice, Duke Watson caught a touchdown, and KeJuan Brown added a 65-yard kickoff return. Position coach Chris Barclay described his trio as “fireworks” with the ability to hit home runs, and said the challenge now is keeping them disciplined and productive against better defenses.

That part wasn’t lost on Moss, either. “It’s really cool when you know a guy gets a step on the defense and you know no one’s catching him,” he said. “That’s not something I’ve necessarily been around before. All three of those guys have special traits.”

The bottom line

Saturday gave Louisville what it wanted: a convincing win, snaps for backups, and some highlights for the playbook.

But Monday’s message was about what the Cardinals can’t afford to repeat. Penalties. Turnovers. Free yards and free possessions. Those won’t slide against James Madison, not in a Friday night game that promises to be faster, more physical, and much less forgiving.

The last word belonged to Brohm, and it was aimed at players who may have cruised once the EKU game got out of reach.

“For the people that got tired after one half,” he said, “you better get in better shape. We’ve got 70 to 95 plays ahead.”

A week after Louisville coasted, the real work begins.